Monday, August 31, 2015

Delighting and surprising customers – that is the essence
of any brand activation. But, it’s easier said than done; a lot of hard work
goes into bringing about those smiles. There are countless challenges we face while
executing an event or activation. Low budgets, high expectations, tight
deadlines, the list is endless…

It begins with seeking permissions and licenses from the authorities,
where, more often than not, red tape is the order of the day! And if the venue is
an unconventional one, like the Gateway of India, India Gate, Juhu Beach,
Carter Road, Marina Beach, etc, well, God help us.

Certain venues come with inherent problems. For instance,
at airports, the time available for production is very limited – we get only
3-4 hours, that too strictly night! Besides, tie-ups with associates become a
huge challenge, especially in remote areas and places like the North East. And
imagine erecting the world’s largest umbrellaat Carter Road, Mumbai – right in front of the
Arabian Sea during the windy, rainy season! But, for us, the show must go on, come
rain or shine.

Then there is the issue of manpower – right from scouring
for the right promoters, for which we have to find presentable faces with a confident
demeanour, screen them, train them and then keep a hawk eye on them, lest they
digress from the brief. Because, admittedly, there is a question mark over
their commitment – remember these kids are not in for a career; most are
students who take up the job either to finance their education or just to make
their pockets bulkier for a flashy lifestyle. Not to forget, finding the right
vendors and support staff to help us in creating and controlling innovative set-ups.

We also have to closely monitor and give daily updates to
clients for manpower-driven activities, which is a logistical and coordination
challenge, especially when an activation entails 1000+ touch points across
India.

Last but not the least, is to have a roving eye on the
activation landscape, globally – to keep ourselves abreast of the latest in
technology and explore new possibilities and avenues to bring the most innovative
ideas to fruition.

THREE OF OUR
BIGGEST CHALLENGES

It’s hard to pick three of the most challenging briefs Candid
has executed. Because, like I said earlier, every brief comes with its own set
of challenges. But, these three are on the top of my mind as I write this –
mind you, it’s just the tip of the huge iceberg of 40,000+ activations we’ve
executed in the 20 years of our existence!

Nissan 370Z

For the launch of Nissan 370Z in India, the brief was to
have an unconventional press conference. We began with an unconventional venue
– The Pawan Hans Runway, Juhu! The car became the first ever car to have been
launched on the runway in an action-packed (pun intended) way…

The next big task was to have a high-octane act involving
two open roof double-decker buses and a trailer
running side by side on the runway. We did that with renowned stunt master,
Alan Amin, within the limited time available – just half a day!

Add to that the responsibility of adhering to the
security guidelines, with 200 invitees from the Press in attendance for this
rare spectacle, and you will know just how tough it was to pull this one off!

Now, the ideal venue for such an installation would have
been a mall. But to ensure that the 2000 kg-heavy steel structure stood its
ground, it required digging a 6 ft. deep hole to lay a solid foundation – something
no mall was ready for!

So, we had to look for alternative venues such as the Shivaji
park, BKC, Police Ground, etc.. But, we finally chose Carter Road, which offered
flexibility in terms of digging required and the working hours, and also
provided space for a stage with high visibility for the official unveiling.

We started digging on 15th July, just when Mumbai
was awaiting its second spell of rains, and built the magnificent umbrella with
huge scaffold structures that acted as wind-cutters from three sides, still allowing
high visibility from the road.

We created a 3D model of Lord Hanuman that was big enough
to attract eyeballs and light enough to be strapped to a drone in one week. As the
drone-strapped Hanuman had to fly over busy locations, apart from getting the necessary
permissions, we also had to hunt for locations where there were no cables at
the height it would fly – which in itself was a task!

All’s well that
ends well!

After a hard day’s work, if a job is executed well, the
smiles on the consumers’ and clients’ faces also mirror ours – and that makes every
drop of sweat we shed worth it.”, quips a broadly smiling Almin.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

1.Always be prepared for a crisis. If there is no crisis or fire on any front, there is something wrong.

2.All our work is divided into elements we can control and ones we can’t. It’s always better to have all the elements we can control done way before time, so that when it comes down to crunch time – all your time and bandwidth is free to handle elements you can’t control.

3.The client is not always right. Sometimes, even they do not know what they really need. It is a sign of a mature and honest agency to know this.

4.A good idea is not always a good revert. Being honest at this stage is important. One may still choose to go ahead with the good idea, but let’s not kid ourselves that the brand comes first.

5.If we don't respect ourselves, no one else will. We should respect our time, our work and our legacy.

6.Having said that, legacy will not get you anywhere. Consistent and dependable good work will take you everywhere.

7.If you lose a pitch, it is usually for a very valid reason. Again let’s not kid ourselves. Even perception of the winning agency in the client’s eyes is a good reason.

8.Never claim or promise error-free work – in an industry where vendors, temporary manpower etc make up more than 70% of the execution, one cannot and should not.

9.Promise to be the client’s eyes. That means more. Identify problems, update client and do your best to fix it. That is what gets client’s trust.

10. Always be hungry. To learn, to try, and to adapt to new things and ways.

Friday, August 14, 2015

August 15, 1995. As India celebrated its 48th Independence Day, an idea was being hatched. An idea called Candid Marketing, which had the potential to set brands free. To liberate them from the tedium of traditional media.

Yes, there was B2C communication, but it was passive and one-way, at best. Where was the personal connect and interaction with consumers? How could brands gauge the efficacy of campaigns, how could they measure consumer responses or their emotions?

Consumers simply read, watched and listened to ads, without really having a way to respond or give feedback. If they did not like the communication, they would simply turn the page, or turn the TV or radio off. KAPUT! And all the marketing bucks would go down the drain.

Candid Marketing leapt into this gap by becoming India’s first-ever strategic brand activation agency, promising (and delivering on that promise) to bring brands to life and enabling a one-on-one connect with consumers.

Candid won over many companions along the way – Unilever, Microsoft, Pepsi, Nissan, Sony TV, Oakley, Vodafone, Pidilite, Grant Thornton, GSK, Cadbury, Godrej, Pogo, Star TV & Kingfisher, to name just a few – always finding newer ways to surprise and delight consumers.

An indefatigable passion for innovation and originality clearly reflects in Candid's regular appearance at various industry awards shows, where we have been consistently winning across categories for our various properties & activations.

With a laser-like focus on its core business, Candid has also broadened its horizon with two new initiatives –

- Candid Play, which heralds the sports activation business in India and paves the way for franchises, teams and leagues to have a positive, engaging impact on fans across various sports and get the maximum bang for their marketing bucks; and

Today, as we turn 20, we look back proudly at our exciting journey, dotted with more than 40,000 activation campaigns (…and counting!).

Candid Marketing invites you for a walk down memory lane as we revisit our journey – the many challenges, the hits and misses, the accolades and the awards we have picked up along the path to where we are today.